Chapter 431: You Are a Robber

Bai Zhiming, formerly Liao Zihui's capable subordinate, had been promoted and recommended by Liao Zihui, eventually securing the position of Deputy Chief Emissary.

He was extremely loyal to Liao Zihui and highly effective in his duties. Upon arriving in Wuqin Town, he uncovered some clues within just two days. He then sent a message to Liao Zihui via a scout: Madam Wuqin, the local deity of Wuqin Town, was missing and likely met with a terrible fate.

Liao Zihui carefully confirmed with Bai Zhiming, "Is it possible that Madam Wuqin is handling matters elsewhere and is temporarily not in Wuqin Town?"

Bai Zhiming replied, "That possibility cannot be ruled out, but it's highly unlikely. Madam Wuqin rarely interacts with others and never easily leaves her territory."

Liao Zihui picked up a map, pondered for a long time, and then asked, "Could it be that Qiu Luoye killed Madam Wuqin and merged the two territories into one, causing the boundary line between them to disappear?"

Bai Zhiming nodded, "Chief Emissary, I think so too. However, since Qiu Luoye is difficult to communicate with, I haven't been able to verify this yet."

Liao Zihui thought for a moment, then asked again, "Where have the people who came from Qiu Luoye's territory gone now?"

"Most of them are gathered at the train station. The route from Wuqin Town to Moxian Shop is cut off, but other routes are still operational. He Yuxiu, Lu Chunying, Ma Junyang, and others are currently helping them process their travel permits."

At the train station.

They couldn't cross the boundaries of other territories.

What a blunder!

A serious blunder!

Li Qi had no means to control the boundaries. The disappearance of the boundary was because these two territories now shared the same owner.

Liao Zihui breathed a sigh of relief. This was an internal territorial deity war within Puluo State, and the problem was far smaller than previously imagined. Moreover, the Border Control Bureau bore virtually no responsibility for it.

Of course, further verification was needed. Liu Guocai, the Border Control Emissary of Wuqin Town, would need to proactively contact Li Qi to discuss rebuilding the railway and assess Li Qi's attitude.

These were matters for later. With the immediate problem resolved, a weight was lifted from Liao Zihui. Feeling completely relaxed, he gazed at the sunset outside the window, cleared his throat, and began to hum a tune.

"To the ends of the earth, I search, I search for a kindred spirit, my little sister..."

"Chief Emissary!" Ling Sujun suddenly burst in. Seeing Liao Zihui swaying his waist, singing and dancing, the scene was a bit awkward.

Liao Zihui quickly composed himself, furrowed his brow, and said, "Don't you know to knock before entering? How uncivilized!"

"I apologize, Chief Emissary. An urgent telegram has arrived from upstairs, asking you to answer immediately."

In Puluo State, communication devices experienced severe interference, requiring special restricted artifacts, or 'magic tools,' for contact.

Liao Zihui went to the communication room. He picked up two palm-sized bronze bells, one in each hand, placing one bell by his ear and the other by his mouth, then smiled and said:

"Director Du, it's been a long time since we last spoke. Last time I returned for my report, I left in such a hurry that we didn't get a chance to meet up..."

After exchanging pleasantries, they got down to business. Just a couple of sentences in, Liao Zihui sensed something was wrong and quickly explained, "Director Du, things aren't as you imagine..."

After explaining for a bit, Liao Zihui said no more.

Some matters were already decided, and further explanation was too late. Director Du's call was a reminder to Liao Zihui that people from the outer states had already been dispatched.

Liao Zihui walked out of the communication room with a grim face, returned to his office, and told Ling Sujun, "Summon Tang Huanjie and Liu Guocai for me."

At the Border Control Bureau, Liao Zihui typically addressed subordinates by their titles. Calling them by their full names, both first and last, was a rare sign of familiarity.

Soon after, Tang Huanjie and Liu Guocai entered the office. Liao Zihui asked Ling Sujun to leave and lock the door.

Tang Huanjie and Liu Guocai felt a little uneasy. They sat in the office for a while before Liao Zihui finally asked, "Which of you reported directly to a higher authority?"

Bypassing the chain of command was a major taboo at the Border Control Bureau, and also in the outer states. The two exchanged glances, then both shook their heads at Liao Zihui.

"You won't admit it?" Liao Zihui smiled, scanning their faces, and lowered his voice, "This isn't an outer state; this is Puluo State. Do you really think I wouldn't dare touch you?"

Liao Zihui's face seemed to suddenly darken.

It wasn't an illusion; his face truly darkened, and layers of black clouds swirled around his body.

A powerful oppressive aura swept over them, causing both men to tremble and sweat profusely.

Tang Huanjie repeatedly shook his head, saying, "Chief Emissary, I would never do such a thing!"

Liu Guocai remained silent for a long moment, then looked up and said, "Chief Emissary, with such a major incident, I was afraid of chaos, afraid I couldn't handle it."

It was him.

Liu Guocai had reported the matter to higher authorities.

Liao Zihui stared at Liu Guocai for a long time.

Liu Guocai was about to wet himself.

After a moment of silence, Liao Zihui spoke, "Guocai, why did you have to do that? If you couldn't handle it, we could have handled it together. By rushing to report this to higher-ups, you've put us in a very passive position now."

The familiar Liao Zihui had returned, and Liu Guocai secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "I... I was truly afraid..."

"What were you afraid of?" Liao Zihui smiled. "The matter has been clarified. Two local deities fought a battle, two places became one, the boundary line between them disappeared, but all other boundaries are intact. This matter has absolutely nothing to do with Li Qi."

Liu Guocai quickly stood up and said, "Chief Emissary, it's all my fault. I will explain to higher-ups immediately and am willing to accept punishment."

Liao Zihui sighed, "Now, the higher-ups are taking this matter very seriously. They're sending a working group to investigate, and it's said that a 'Balance Maintainer' will also be coming. Our work will be difficult to carry out from now on."

Liu Guocai said, "I'll contact them immediately and explain everything clearly."

"No need," Liao Zihui shook his head. "Indeed, there are many areas where our work has not been thorough. It's a good thing to let the higher-ups guide us. Once they arrive in Wuqin Town, the reception task will be yours. You must not be negligent in the slightest."

Liu Guocai publicly stated, "Chief Emissary, please rest assured, there will not be the slightest mistake!"

Tang Huanjie and Liu Guocai left the office. As Liao Zihui watched Liu Guocai's retreating figure, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

Liu Guocai, still shaken, reached the stairwell and lowered his voice, "Chief Emissary Tang, should I still talk to Chief Emissary Liao privately?"

"What did you just say?" Tang Huanjie glanced at his watch. "I have to rush to a dinner party. Let's talk later."

Latest address: 83

***

...At Huahu Park, He Jiaqing, with his hair dyed completely white, was disguised as a sixty-year-old man, exercising next to fitness equipment.

Da Tou sat beside the elliptical machine, lowering his voice, "I'm going to Puluo State in a couple of days."

"What for?"

"Xiao Zhenggong needs an assistant to accompany him on a mission to Wuqin Town in Puluo State, as a Balance Maintainer. The bureau assigned me."

He Jiaqing stepped onto the waist-twisting machine and asked, "What happened in Wuqin Town?"

"An extra piece of land appeared near Wuqin Town, and a section of the boundary line mysteriously disappeared again. It's said that this incident is related to someone named Li Qi..."

Da Tou relayed all the information he knew to He Jiaqing, who then cautioned him, "Puluo State is different from the outer states. You must be extremely careful."

After Da Tou left, He Jiaqing immediately found He Haisheng. "Third Uncle, I need to go to Puluo State. I'll leave matters in the outer states to you for now."

He Haisheng was somewhat worried. "The one from Sage Peak is still watching you. It might be dangerous for you to return to Puluo State now. You could run into their people as soon as you show your face."

"I must go back. This matter is extremely important!"

He Haisheng looked at the sweat on He Jiaqing's forehead. "Jiaqing, you look a bit weak. How about waiting a few days before you go back?"

"I can't wait. I must leave today."

He Haisheng helped He Jiaqing arrange his train ticket and travel permit. He Jiaqing changed his identity and appearance and boarded the train that very night.

Upon arriving in Wuqin Town, He Jiaqing immediately went to the deserted village where Qiao Shaofen lived.

This was a forbidden area in Wuqin Town, rarely visited by anyone. He Jiaqing circled the village entrance and picked up a piece of dry, hardened mud from amidst the overgrown grass.

He smelled the mud and understood its origin.

This was from Qiao Shaofen's remains.

Things were turning out increasingly close to what he had anticipated.

He Jiaqing entered Qiao Shaofen's bedroom, crawled under the bed, and observed for a moment.

Although Li Banfeng had restored the scene perfectly, He Jiaqing still spotted flaws.

He had already guessed everything that happened, but couldn't help but confirm it.

He opened the secret compartment and saw that it was empty. The local deity's seal was gone.

There was a hole beneath the secret compartment. Without asking, the deed had clearly been dug out.

He Jiaqing slowly crawled out from under the bed, his expression blank, and stood by the bed for a long time.

A wave of dizziness swept over him, and He Jiaqing collapsed onto the bed. He first clenched his fists, then his eyes reddened, and tears streamed down his face.

He could endure anything, even losing an ear.

But this, this he could not endure. This was the foundation of all his plans.

"Robber! Shameless thievery!" He Jiaqing wiped his tears and couldn't help but curse,

"You kill people, fine, but you also steal from others! I never steal from others. I absolutely despise such shameless thievery!"

In his fury, He Jiaqing clenched his teeth, "Li Banfeng, if you don't return the deed to me today, I will take your life!"

Achoo!

Li Banfeng, who was eating noodles at a noodle shop, suddenly sneezed.

Who's thinking of me?

After the sneeze, Li Banfeng shivered again. This time, he understood.

His wife was thinking of him; she was waiting for him to come home to apply oil.

Every time he applied the oil, he would shiver. He felt great, and his wife felt comfortable too.

Thinking of this, Li Banfeng felt a little eager.

He walked to the counter and asked the noodle shop owner, "How much?"

The owner was still the same old lady. She took out two hundred yuan from the counter and handed it to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng checked the banknotes, then nodded, "Keep the change."

The old lady respectfully saw Li Banfeng out the door.

Finding a secluded spot, Li Banfeng hid his key, entered his portable residence, first pressed down on the gramophone, and then picked up the oilcan.

The gramophone cried out, "Madman! Slow down, I... I'm not ready..."

He Jiaqing arrived at the noodle shop, looked around, and the old lady owner approached him, "Are you here for noodles?"

"I'm looking for someone." He Jiaqing smiled. He didn't see Li Banfeng and was about to turn and leave when he suddenly saw someone enter the noodle shop doorway.

The person wore a grayish-white overcoat and a grayish-white fedora.

He Jiaqing found the person familiar but couldn't quite place him at first.

Chu Shaoqiang took off his fedora and said, "Jiaqing, what a coincidence, I was just looking for you. Sit down and let's have a bowl of noodles together."

PS: Jiaqing should have listened to his Third Uncle. He shouldn't have come to Puluo State, but those two deeds were too important to him.

Latest address: 83